Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The State Department has spent years trying to unravel a medical mystery. Since 2016, dozens of diplomats overseas have reported sudden bouts of dizziness, cognitive problems and hearing loss, brought about with no underlying conditions. The department stood up a Health Incident Response Task Force to lead an interagency investigation, but the specific source of the maladies remains unknown. For more on where the task force goes from here, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the task force’s senior advisor, Ambassador Pamela Spratlen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunger among members of the U.S. military and their families might not be a widely known problem. But some in Congress are taking notice. A bipartisan bill is in the hopper to give struggling military families a basic allowance for everyday needs. Recently, MAZON, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger, came out with a report detailing military food insecurity. Federal News Network's Scott Maucione spoke with MAZON CEO and President Abby Leibman on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs was quick to praise success of the initial deployment of its new electronic health record last fall. But nearly six months in and VA employees and congressional overseers say the EHR deployment in Spokane, Washington, was far less successful than what the agency initially touted. Clinicians said they're still experiencing usability problems. Members of Congress believe VA has some tough decisions ahead now that it's launched a strategic review of the program. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The late historian Arthur Schlesinger memorialized the term "imperial presidency" back in the early 1970s. Given the scores, perhaps hundreds, of executive orders issued by recent administrations, the term seems prophetic. Now the government is operating in the wake of an historic number of executive orders, memoranda and proclamations from the Biden White House. Ohio State law professor Peter Shane offered an assessment and historical perspective on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like a hot air balloon with a pinhole, the National Labor Relations Board has been steadily losing people and the morale of those remaining. The Government Accountability Office has some recommendations for plugging the hole. For more, the GAO's acting director for Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, Thomas Costa, spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration signed a first-ever data sharing agreement with a private company - a developer of offshore windmill farms. Both parties have an interest in learning more about what's going on in coastal waters. For the whys and wherefores of the agreement, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to NOAA's integrated ocean and coastal mapping coordinator, Ashley Chappell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robin Carnahan, President Biden's nominee for administrator of the General Services Administration, has a software development background. So can she take on the range of challenges GSA faces in acquisition and real estate? We get analysis from long-time GSA watcher, federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Homeland Security, by order of the Biden administration, is reportedly shifting resources to the challenge of what the administration calls violent domestic extremism. For a little perspective on this, we turn to an expert on cyber warfare, surveillance, terrorism and whistleblowers, R-Street Institute senior fellow Paul Rosenzweig. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having taken over the security clearance apparatus, the Defense Department has been busy updating the technology process for clearance. But what about the criteria for granting or withholding clearance? A deep dive by the RAND Corporation says it might be time to revise them because, well, times have changed. For more, RAND social scientist and report co-author, Marek Posard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Office of Management and Budget is pulling its approval of selling the Federal Archives and Records Center in Seattle, citing a lack of communication with the communities that rely on those records. It’s one of a dozen high value, but underutilized federal properties identified by the Public Buildings Reform Board a year ago. The rest of the board’s recommendations haven’t made much traction either. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House is filling two key cybersecurity roles at the National Security Council and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These two are among the most prominent technology leadership positions that needed to be filled by the Biden administration. In his weekly feature, the Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller wrote about these nominations in some detail. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress is something of an odd duck. It has 50-50 party membership. Members of the two parties sit among one another. They don't seem to bicker. Now the committee has held detailed hearings on its agenda in the 117th Congress. Joining the Federal Drive with an update, committee chairman and Washington representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress, with the backing of the Biden administration, is going to make a fresh run at funding for the nation's infrastructure. Recently the American Society of Civil Engineers confirmed that the infrastructure could stand some rebuilding. For what impact the Biden plan could have and how to pick the most worthy projects, the Federal Drive turned to civil engineer and former ASCE president, Greg DiLoreto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Secretary of State Tony Blinken is changing course in many ways from his predecessor, Mike Pompeo. One thing both men share is the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. The commission's charter just received renewal from State. Joining the Federal Drive with an update on the commission's work, executive director Vivian Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The president's 2022 budget request is out, or part of it. Administration officials previewed several broad priorities and topline spending numbers on Friday when they released the so-called skinny budget. For the first time in years, civilian agencies are the big winners. President Biden is recommending a 16% increase in civilian agency spending. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive to break down the numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices